Chapter 6
3152words
"Good afternoon, Princess. I hope you slept well," a feminine voice suddenly speaks, startling me.
"Oh shi-" I catch myself before cussing and start searching for the source of the sound.
Standing there is a neatly dressed maid bowing in my direction with her eyes closed, the rings inside her chest slowly spinning.
How did I not notice the rings earlier?! God, my hyper-fixation is a huge problem.
"Good afternoon, um, Rosaline! Yes, I slept well, thanks for asking!" I responded to her question, trying to recover.
"Are you sure you're alright, Princess? You sound a bit unwel–" The maid rises from her bow and opens her eyes, gasping loudly the moment she sees me, startling me once more.
"What? What's wrong?" I ask, looking around in confusion.
"Princess! Why are you still in your pyjamas? You did your hair but didn't change your clothes? This won't do, Princess–this will not do!" Rosaline suddenly adopts a stern tone, shaking her head disapprovingly.
"What's wrong with being in my pyjamas? Can we do this later, please? I'm feeling quite hungry–I haven't eaten properly since yesterday," I plead.
"This won't do, Your Highness," she firmly repeats. "Please, follow me. Let's get you properly set up for the day." With that, she turns sharply to her right and starts walking down the hallway.
What the hell was that...? Did I just get bossed around by a maid? Isn't she supposed to obey every word I say–you know, me being the princess and all that fancy stuff?
Urgh whatever, fine! You win this time.
I hurry after Rosaline, being careful not to trip over my fluffy slippers.
After a minute or so of walking, the maid suddenly stops in front of a large double door and turns sharply.
"Here we are, Your Highness." She extends her arms, grabs the handles of the double door, twists them, and pushes it wide open. "Please head into the restroom, have a bath, and get yourself ready. I made sure the water was hot and your post-bath clothes were properly hung before escorting you here," the maid says, gently bowing before rising again. "I'll be waiting back in your room. Please return there once you're done washing up." Once finished explaining, she bows and starts walking back toward my room.
Ha... a warm, calming bath. Maybe I'll be able to clear my mind a bit.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Rosaline suddenly says, turning sharply around again. "Please, don't enter the restroom with your slippers on–leave them at the entrance." She then resumes her robotic march back toward my room.
Her movements are so mechanical and professional; it's quite unnerving. Is every worker here the same?
Anyway, to focus on the matter at hand.
I finally turned towards the restroom's entrance. Breathing deeply in and out, I carefully remove my fuzzy slippers. Wouldn't want them getting wet–or worse, Rosaline getting mad at me.
Okay, let's go. Warm bath, here I come!
I walk through the double door, pushing it shut behind me as I enter.
Inside, my feet are welcomed by a clean, smooth marble floor, while four white walls greet my eyes. A few meters to my left are four doors, three of them labeled with names etched in gold.
The first one on the left reads "Astaria", the second "Minerva", and the third "Cadel"
The final door has nothing written on it–just left blank.
Huh... compared to the rest of the mansion, this place is oddly bland and flavourless. I wonder why there are many different and varied design choices throughout the estate.
I head towards the door labeled "Astaria" Grabbing the knob, I twist it and step inside.
I'm greeted by a rather tight space, with a five-tooth hanger on my left, a large locker directly in front of me, and a nice sink with a mirror mounted on the wall to my right.
The sink houses a hairbrush, a small mug with a toothbrush in it, and next to the mug is a small toothpaste dispenser which has a toothpaste tube mounted on the top of it.
Quickly, I take the toothbrush out of the mug, turn on the sink, wet the toothbrush with it, use the small toothpaste dispenser, and start brushing my teeth. Once I'm done, I wash the toothbrush before putting it back in the mug.
Turning around, I start focusing more on the hanger and its contents.
A small key is hung on the far-left tooth of the hanger by its keychain, accompanied by a small wooden square engraved with the letter "A"
On the second and third teeth of the hanger a solid pink shirt, pants, and their respective pair of underwear are hung.
And the final occupied tooth was the fourth one which had a bathrobe hung on it.
I grab the key and head towards the locker, after inserting the key, it opens with a light click. It reveals nothing but two clean but empty shelves.
Looking towards the bathrobe, I take it off the hanger but not before taking off my pyjamas, underwear, folding them well, putting them in the locker, and closing it. I slip into the perfectly tailored bathrobe and hang the key back where I found it.
I tie the bathrobe around myself while heading out of the locker room door and shutting it behind me.
There goes the first step. Now, for the second one–having a nice bath. I'm assuming the fourth door leads to it? Hopefully–or else I might have to pretend I finished having one and pray Rosaline wouldn't notice. What if she has a dog's nose? That would not be fun.
I walk over to the fourth door and knock on it lightly, making sure no one's inside. With no response after the knock, I slowly push the door open and step inside.
Oh. My. God.
What welcomes my eyes is a massive pool of water, the heat it's giving off covers most of the huge room the pool is encompassed in.
The left wall of the room has four doors. I walk over to each one and check what's inside. Just normal bathroom stalls, each one of them containing: towels, toilet paper rolls, bidets, and a sink. Although they're quite luxurious, there's not much more to point out.
Now, for the star of the show, the big, beautiful pool.
Exiting the bathroom stall, I head towards the pool. When I reach the edge, I untie the bathrobe, letting it fall to the ground, and slowly dip the tip of my feet in the water, trying to get a feel for it.
As expected, it's incredibly warm. There are pink petals floating on the water surface–must be why it smells really good here.
I slowly submerge the rest of my body under the water and once all in, I let out a sigh of relaxation.
Hoooo... this feels really damn nice, just like warm saunas, except like ten times better.
I sit there for a few minutes, letting the warm water relax my body and clear my mind. Occasionally, I splash some water into my face, mostly to keep myself awake and not end up drowning in this place.
Haaa... alright, that should be enough of a sauna experience for today.
I wash myself thoroughly, wetting my hair a bit in the process.
Once I'm done with the bath, I slowly raise myself out of the water and exit the pool.
I'll be leaving now, my baby. I will be back. I promise.
Goodbyes are always the hardest...
I grab the bathrobe from where I dropped it and wrap it around myself as I head towards the bathroom stall to dry myself and my hair.
When I'm done, I hang it back, exit the stall, and start heading back to the locker room.
Oh man, what a beautiful place... I could've never imagined experiencing something like this in my past life.
Finally, I reach the locker room and I start the process of heading out. Taking off the bathrobe, I hang it where I found it, I grab the solid-coloured shirt, pants, and underwear from the hanger, and hurriedly put them on. Rosaline must've been waiting for some time now, so I gotta hurry.
Being done with putting them on, I head towards the exit.
Phew finally done–a successful bath without any troubles.
I open the doors leading to the exit of the restroom and put on my fuzzy slippers.
Looking up after putting them on, I see a very beautiful sight. A window spanning the entire hallway, which I somehow didn't notice, showed an incredible view of the mansion's garden and beyond its walls.
The horizon shows an incredible city going on for kilometers. Despite how far everything is, I can make out what most things are.
Citizens walking up and down well-paved, clean roads, carriages with big horses and carriage men holding the reins and leading the way, and people buying groceries and several household items from markets.
What an incredible sight... I can only consider myself lucky to be able to see this view. And this eyesight? Maybe, it isn't yesterday's adrenaline. Maybe, it really is just a trait this body has.
As I bask in the city's view, I suddenly remember Rosaline.
Oh shit, I really gotta go! I truly cannot wait to see this city at its fullest once I go down there.
I immediately start fast-walking toward my room hoping the maid isn't gonna be pissed at me.
Not long after, I finally made it to my room.
I'm back sooner than I expected, old friend. Hope you didn't miss me.
Taking a deep breath in and out, I reach out for the door handle, twist it, and then push the door open.
"Hey Rosaline, I'm back! Sorry for taking too long. I was just making sure I was properly clean before leaving."
"It's okay, Your Highness." Rosaline responds and bows while standing next to the bed with two dresses laid out on it. "I'm glad you enjoyed the bath and I hope the water was to your liking when you arrived."
"Uhm, yeah the water was fine, more than fine actually, it was perfect!" I stare at the dresses on the bed in horror, hoping that what's on my mind isn't about to happen.
"No need to thank me, princess. I'll fix a bath for you anytime you need, just give the word" Rosaline smiles widely as she turns toward the dresses. "I've picked out two great dresses which I think would fit you quite well! Please, give me your input."
"Oh, okay. Thanks for your work!" I walk over to the bed and stop in front of the dresses, examining them closely.
Shit shit shit, these two seem like such a pain in the ass to wear and walk around in, I know I was considering a rebranding but this is too soon!!
"Hey, Rosaline?"
"Yes, Your Highness?" with a wide smile, she responds.
I am so sorry, Rosaline. I might have to disappoint you and break your heart a bit.
"Is there, uhm, nothing else in the wardrobe? You know, something less tight and easy to walk in? I'm considering walking around a bit and this does not seem comfortable to be in."
"Oh... I apologize, princess. Let's look for something you might like, together." Her smile loses a bit of its vigor, but doesn't completely vanish.
God, this feels awful.
The maid takes the two dresses she laid out on the bed in her arms and heads over to the wardrobe, sliding it open. She places the dresses back where she found them.
"Okay, Your Highness please, pick out something that is to your taste." Rosaline says, as she moves out of the way letting me walk over and pick something out instead.
Alright, let's see...
I start flipping through the clothes with my hands.
Dress? No. Dress? No. Dress? No. Oh, another dress, who would've guessed? No.
Urgh, so. Many. Dresses. I beg, just give me something normal.
My hand finally falls on something that wasn't a dress. A nice, normal matching pair of pants and shirt. It looks like something I'd have worn in my past life, simple yet effective.
I took them out of the wardrobe with a big smile on my face and showed them to Rosaline, who had an unpromising look on her face.
"How about this? Not tight, not too revealing, and won't attract much attention. Perfect, right?"
"Uhm, you do have good taste, Your Highness... however, you can't go around the mansion wearing that."
"What? Why? What's wrong with it?" The disappointment, evident in my voice as I look at the clothes I just picked out.
"Well, I'd say these are more roomy clothes, not mansion clothes. You may wear these in your room. However, in the mansion or outside it, you must wear a dress or something royal. You are of noble blood, Your Highness, you must always look the part." The maid says, "However, if you want to wear them you can!" She back-tracked just as fast.
"Nono, it's fine. I'll just look for something else then." I put the pair of pants and shirt back in the wardrobe and I started flipping through the clothes again.
Something princess-like, that's not too tight, and easy to walk in.
I finally stumbled across something that fits just the description. It seems a bit tight but I won't waste the whole day arguing over a clothes choice.
The one I picked out is a dusky purple and gold dress, reaching about midway down the calves. The fabric is soft and smooth–not itchy or annoying to the touch. A star-shaped object sits at the collar, disguised as a tie. Most importantly, it feels easy to walk around and breathe in.
Seems like all I need. I still dislike dresses, though...
"Okay okay, this?" I say, turning around to show Rosaline the dress I picked out, very nervous about what she might say.
"Hmmm..." She rubs her chin as she examines the dress.
For goodness' sake's woman, say something! I'm already enough of a wreck having to imagine myself in this thing.
"Alright, that'll do! That'll fit a perfect, pretty princess like you really well." The wide smile is now back on her face after she's done examining it.
Phew... crisis averted.
"Now, let's get you dressed up, princess. Please, let me assist you and help you put on the dress." The maid starts approaching me slowly.
"What????? Oh nono, I can dress myself just fine, Rosaline. There's no need for your help!" I step back a little with reluctance as she approaches me.
"Nono, it's okay, Your Highness. I insist on helping you, I don't have much work to do today so I am at your service." Rosaline extends her arm forward to take the dress from me and start helping me wear it.
I flinch as her arm gets closer to me
Nononono... stop please...
"STOP!!" I yell out so suddenly. Rosaline, taken aback, steps away from me quickly.
"What's wrong, Your Highness??? Are you feeling okay??" the maid desperately yells out, trying to understand what's going on.
I try to regain my composure a bit, "I'm fine... just, I can dress myself so please let me." I respond in a weak voice.
The shock on Rosaline's face is clear as day but it disappears quickly. She takes a short bow and says, "I understand, Your Highness. I'll be waiting outside, please call for me if you need any assistance." With that, she heads toward the door, opens it, and closes it behind her.
I kept my gaze on the ground as she started walking out. Once she's out, I look toward the door and I see her waiting right next to the door with her rings spinning around rapidly.
I let out a deep sigh, heavy with disappointment.
Just... Why did I do that...? I did the same with that man who cared for me back at the dining hall, too. I pushed him away from me when he just wanted to help.
I stood there for a few moments looking at the dress I just picked out.
Throwing the dress on the bed, I rapidly ruffle through my hair in distress and take a deep breath in and out trying to calm myself down.
It takes a few minutes but once I am calm enough for my own sake, I look at the dress and run my hands through it.
Now that I think about it, I've never really tried putting on a dress before, let alone one as complex-looking as this.
Whatever, it'll be fine. I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow, I'm a woman after all!
I lift up the dress and notice my hands still trembling.
It's okay, calm down. I'm not in danger. I'm not in danger. I'm not in danger.
I keep repeating this sentence over and over in my mind while doing slow, methodical breathing exercises.
The shaking takes a bit but eventually, it goes away.
There we go. It sure took its sweet time.
Smiling weakly at the dress as I wonder how the hell I'll have that thing on.
I take off the locker room clothes and grab the dress again.
I keep flipping the dress around looking for where to start until I finally look at the back, an open zipper. I'll just try slipping my legs through there and hopefully it'll go in just fine.
Doing just as I planned, I keep praying it really works or else I might have to call her in and ask her for help.
I slide my feet down the opening and then my arms through the short sleeves of the dress.
Thankfully, it came out perfectly. One problem though, how the hell am I supposed to reach the zipper?
I walk over to the wall-mounted mirror and I turn around as I look back at it.
I try reaching back for the zipper and surprisingly, I do it really well, I grab the zipper and pull it up.
The dress is now done, and it fits me really well, not too tight, not too bad to the touch. Glad my instincts were right.
I adjust the star-shaped object that's on my collar and I look at myself in the mirror.
Hello, pretty. You fit that really well huh? I point at myself with finger guns as I smile.
Anyway, enough goofing around. I head towards the door to get ready to head out and face the maid I just yelled at.
I take a quick glance at her rings and they seem to have stabilized a bit, still spinning around rapidly, but a little less now.
okay okay...
Let's... face the music...?
